First Post-Season Linkorama! [News]

 Duke men’s basketball officially secured the No. 1 seed in this week’s ACC Tournament after the team’s defeat of North Carolina.}; The Blue Zone breaks down the Blue Devils’ potential path to a record-extending 23rd ACC Tournament title: 

After Saturday’s Tar Heel takedown to close out the regular season, head coach Jon Scheyer’s squad shifts its focus to the upcoming ACC tournament. With the number one seed secured, the Blue Devils will sit out the first two rounds of play, before taking on the winner of Georgia Tech vs.Virginia Thursday at noon. 

Duke bested both sides in the regular season, felling the Yellow Jackets 82-56 in mid December, before beating the Cavaliers 80-62 on February 17th. Neither side was able to hang with the Blue Devils on either end of the court, as the winning side made more than half of their attempts in both contests. On the defensive side, neither opponent was able to make more than 39% of their shots, a testament to Duke’s defensive dominance. 

Should the Blue Devils prevail against Virginia or Georgia Tech Thursday, Duke would likely face Wake Forest or North Carolina in the next round. The semifinals should be more competitive than the quarterfinals, with the Winston-Salem based group being one of the few teams to give Duke a scare this season, and the Tar Heels undoubtedly hungry for revenge after being swept during the regular season.  

The Demon Deacons almost took down Scheyer’s squad in late January, clogging up the paint and providing enough pressure on the outside to make the Blue Devils uncomfortable on the offensive end. However, on the road in Winston-Salem, the Durham side also put together a strong defensive showing and secured a low-scoring 63-56 victory. 

The two teams matched up again two games ago, with Duke cruising to a 93-60 smacking. Scheyer’s team has evolved significantly since its January stumble, so another matchup with Wake Forest should end up similarly to the previous one. For the Tar Heels, the scoring ability of RJ Davis is an omnipresent threat, but as evidenced Saturday night, the Blue Devils seem a cut above their rival this season.     

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